Redemption Bay. RaeAnne Thayne

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СКАЧАТЬ she needed to stop fighting the would-be matchmakers and give in, once in a while.

      She slid into the booth across from him, noting the lovely view of the lake and the mountains from here. She never got tired of looking at those calming blue waters.

      “You’re an early riser,” he said.

      She felt that heat rising on her features again and was grateful again he couldn’t see her discomfort. “Wasting a beautiful June morning here is nothing short of criminal, as far as I’m concerned.”

      His mouth twitched a little. When he didn’t quite make it into a full-fledged smile, she told herself the little clutch in her stomach couldn’t possibly be disappointment. “Have you made a law against that, Mayor?”

      “Not yet. I’ll add it to the next town council agenda.” She refused to be drawn to him. Everyone else might roll over like Rika for a good long belly scratch, but not her.

      “I have to go open my store,” she said shortly. “What did you want to talk to me about?”

      “You want to know why I’m back in Haven Point. I thought about it overnight and decided it’s only fair to tell you.”

      Ah. Finally. “I agree. We have the right to know, especially if you’ve come to town to figure out some other way to drive our economy into the ground.”

      He frowned. “I’m beginning to find that accusation and your hostile attitude more than a little tiresome.”

      “I’m so sorry,” she said with a forced sweetness that made her teeth ache as if she’d just eaten an entire bag of that taffy she was thinking about earlier. “I guess something about you brings out the worst in me.” Could be the lasting damage you’ve done to my town, but that might be just a guess. “Go on. Tell me why you’re here.”

      He sighed. “I didn’t expect to ever return but apparently I have a tough time saying no to some people.”

      “Aidan Caine.”

      He raised an eyebrow. “Did he contact you to let you know I was coming?”

      “A lucky guess. You’re the chief operations officer of Caine Tech and Aidan’s right-hand man. Aidan just bought half the town. Aidan and his wife-to-be, Eliza, have wonderful taste and both love Haven Point—unlike some people I won’t mention—and they’ve been working to revitalize it. Suddenly, you show up, obviously not happy about being here. I connected the dots. What did Aidan ask you to do?”

      A muscle worked in his jaw. He glanced around Serrano’s. If not for her own tension, she might have found it amusing how heads swiveled back to their meals as if everybody in the place wasn’t watching him covertly—and some not even bothering with that.

      He angled slightly toward the window, away from the other diners, and leaned forward, speaking in a low voice that forced her to incline forward as well, until their heads were just inches apart, far more intimate than she was completely comfortable with.

      Up close, he smelled of toothpaste and some kind of expensive soap, woodsy and masculine and delicious.

      Not that she noticed.

      “This is a delicate situation and one that requires total discretion, as I’m sure you can understand. Unfounded rumors only stir the pot to overflowing and generally end up making a big mess.”

      “What sort of rumors should I have heard?”

      “Nothing, I hope,” he said. “I would like to keep it that way. Please don’t share what I’m about to tell you with anyone. Not the town council, not your executive staff.”

      Which consisted of Anita Robles, her personal assistant at city hall and the real driving force behind the town. She supposed Dale Pierson, the public works director, might count as executive staff, but that was about it.

      “Fine. I won’t say anything,” she said.

      He studied her as if trying to gauge whether she meant it. Finally, he nodded. “The truth is, Caine Tech is expanding into a couple fresh areas and we have need of a new facility that would employ about three hundred people. Aidan is pushing to move those operations to Haven Point.”

      Her brain seemed to stall on “employ” and “three hundred people.” Jobs. An economic base beyond tourism. That was exactly what Haven Point needed. It could mean new housing, stores, restaurants.

      Bless Aidan and his sweet fiancée. If Eliza had been there, McKenzie would have smooched her right on the lips.

      As it was, she almost smooched Ben, since he was only a few inches away—until her brain kicked in again and she remembered exactly who sat across the table from her.

      Her burgeoning excitement popped as if he had just blasted it with a shotgun. Very carefully, she eased away a little and entwined her fingers together in her lap. “Aidan asked you to come here,” she said slowly. “In what capacity?”

      He glanced out at the others in the restaurant then back at her. “Call it a fact-finding mission. In two weeks, I’m supposed to report to Aidan and the board of directors with a cost-benefit analysis of placing our new facility in Haven Point.”

      Just as she suspected. Her stomach dropped. So much for all those beautiful jobs and families and dreams of prosperity.

      “Why would he send you? Aidan can’t possibly think for a moment you’re capable of offering an objective opinion,” she hissed. “You hate it here with a passion.”

      “Hate is a strong word. I don’t hate Haven Point. I’m indifferent. There’s a big difference.”

      “Fine. You’re passionately indifferent, though I don’t know how it’s possible not to love it here. Haven Point is a beautiful place filled with good, hardworking people who care about this town and about each other.”

      He leaned back in his seat. “That may be true but I can’t see that as a basis for investing millions in a new facility here. I’ll be honest. I see real problems with Haven Point. For one thing, the distance to a major airport is a real concern. Boise is almost two hours away. It’s fine for Aidan, who has his own private jet, but everybody else will have to travel here from Boise. Then you’ve got the matter of your inadequate infrastructure and few housing opportunities. All are negatives.”

      “Are there any positives?”

      He remained stubbornly silent and she wanted to point out a hundred wonderful things about her town. Besides the kind neighbors and beautiful surroundings, she could have cited the relatively low cost of living, the well-educated population, the favorable tax conditions.

      “I see,” she said when his silence stretched out. “That’s clear enough.”

      “It’s a very pretty lake town, McKenzie, but when it comes to business decisions, that can’t be enough. From my perspective, the negatives outweigh the positives. But I’m here and I’m keeping an open mind.”

      She doubted that was possible for him but she didn’t see the point in arguing.

      “Thank you for telling me.”

      “It СКАЧАТЬ